


Shelter

by TK_Tish



Category: Cut & Run - Madeleine Urban & Abigail Roux
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Animal Shelter, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-26
Updated: 2015-07-26
Packaged: 2018-04-11 06:42:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4425305
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TK_Tish/pseuds/TK_Tish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a suggestion from a friend, Nick O'Flaherty starts volunteering at a local animal shelter as a bit of self-therapy. He didn't expect to fall for another volunteer there.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shelter

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a cute little AU that came to me. I volunteer at an animal shelter myself and playing with the animals does often reduce stress. The shelter mentioned is fictional, but is loosely based off the shelter I volunteer at (including the veteran's program).

            "I'm telling you, Irish. You need a cat."

            Nick O'Flaherty closed his eyes and sighed as he tapped the back of his phone with his finger. This was the third time in four weeks that Ty Grady called and told him to get a cat. It was starting to get old.

            "Ty, I don't need a cat. I live on a boat. You're still just riding your new cat high."

            Ty huffed and Nick could imagine Ty's free hand flailing in exasperation. "You've been stressed at the precinct lately, right?"

            "Yeah, a little."

            " _A little_ didn't get you a mental health break for five days, man."

            Nick paced back and forth on the deck of his yacht. Yeah, okay. So he might have snapped at one too many difficult people and his boss sent him home for a few days.

            "A pet is the last thing I need."

            Ty was silent for a moment. "Okay, how about this. I know a guy who volunteers at an animal rescue near you—"

            "You know _so many_ guys, don't you?"

            "Are you calling me a whore again? Just shut up and listen." Ty muttered something under his breath before speaking up again. "Go and volunteer. Maybe you _don't_ need a cat, but you need something to do other than sleeping and working. You enjoyed the volunteering we did at that animal shelter in Jacksonville, right?"

            "Yeah, that was fun," Nick said reluctantly. Every animal seemed to become enthralled with him that time, but it wasn't necessarily a _bad_ thing.

            "So, go try volunteering again," Ty said. "I'll call the guy up and tell him to be expecting you. His name is Kelly and he's there every day. Go whenever you're ready." There was a commotion and then twin meows. "And that's my cue to go. Try this, Nick. I promise it'll do you some good."

            Ty hung up before Nick could reply. Nick scowled at his phone before checking the time. It was late afternoon. Knowing Ty, he was probably already calling this other guy. Nick sighed and ducked inside the galley to get his keys.

~*~*~*~

            The Whiskers, Wags, & Happy Tails animal shelter was colorful and lively. Bright paw print designs decorated the trim around the doors and windows. Volunteers in vivid blue t-shirts played with dogs around the shelter grounds.

            Nick walked up the sidewalk, taking it all in. He wasn't exactly sure _why_ he was nervous. He liked animals well enough. Animals liked him, sometimes a little too much. Maybe he just didn't want to admit that he really _did_ need to do something like this once in awhile. It obviously couldn't hurt. Unless something bit or scratched him.

            He walked into the lobby and glanced around. The building was clean, but it still had that ever-present smell of animals to it. A sign pointed at a door to the left leading to the cat area, with a sign pointing right for the dogs. Smaller animals, such as rabbits and other furry, scaled, or feathered critters, took up residence in the lobby itself.

            Nick stepped up to the large desk dominating the lobby. The woman sitting behind it smiled up at him.

            "Welcome to Whiskers, Wags, & Happy Tails," she said. "What can I help you with?"

            "I'm looking for a volunteer named Kelly," Nick replied. He mentally cursed Ty for not giving him the last name of this guy.

            The woman nodded and pointed to the door leading to the cat area. "He's always with the cats. He's the only volunteer there today, so you can't miss him. Just look for the purple volunteer shirt."

            Nick nodded his thanks and headed through the door to the cats. He stopped when he stepped foot inside the large divided room and looked around. A glass wall and door split the room down the middle. The left side, the side Nick entered into, contained large, stacked cages of cats too sick to mingle with the others or too shy. The right side had free-roaming cats and an assortment of toys and climbing surfaces.

            In the middle of the playroom stood a handsome man who was clearly in his element. Kittens climbed up his legs and a large Siamese cat sat on his shoulder like a parrot. Nick tapped on the glass wall to get the man's attention. He turned and waved Nick into the room. Nick noticed the cell phone pressed to the man's ear and then saw the amused look on his face. Nick had a feeling he knew who was on the other end.

            "Yeah, I think he just walked in," he was saying. "Tall, red hair, kinda grumpy looking?" He laughed and ended the call, grinning at Nick's scowl.

            Nick side-stepped a kitten lounging on the floor and held his hand out. "You must be Kelly and I'm guessing you were just talking to Ty."

            Kelly's grin grew wider and he shook Nick's hand with a warm, firm grip. "Kelly Abbott. And yes, that was Ty. I'm actually surprised you showed up so quickly with how Ty was going on."

            "Ty is always going on about something, but that's part of his charm."

            Kelly snorted and held up a kitten that managed to climb his leg. "I heard you're looking to volunteer."

            "It wasn't exactly my idea, but I figured I'd give it a week," Nick said.

            Kelly hummed and rubbed the ears of the cat on his shoulder. "Ty said you've been working too hard and needed a distraction."

            "Something like that." Nick glanced down and nudged a brightly colored ball toward a rambunctious kitten. The kitten tripped in its haste to go after the toy, eliciting a laugh from Kelly.

            "Okay, how about this," Kelly said. "Try it for a week. Come every day and play with the kitties. If it's not working for you, then you can stop and I'll tell Ty to stop harassing you."

            Nick laughed, a grin pulling at his lips to match Kelly's infectious smile. "I think I can handle that. What time are you usually here?"

            Right as the words left his mouth Nick wanted to kick himself. He'd known this guy for _maybe_ ten minutes; too soon to start flirting. That wasn't even the _goal_ of all of this anyway. He was here to play with cats, not the hot volunteer with mesmerizing blue-green eyes.

            Nick took a deep breath to get a hold of himself and his rambling thoughts, a blush creeping across his cheeks.

            "I'm here every day from six to eight." Kelly's eyes sparkled, but he didn't comment on Nick's suddenly flustered state.

            "That's good to know," Nick said quickly. "So uh... What exactly do volunteers do here?"

            "Mostly clean litter boxes, cuddle kitties, and help people look for a cat to adopt," Kelly said with a wave of his hand to the room. "I already took care of the litter boxes and since there aren't any adopters around, we just play with the cats."

            Kelly sat on the floor and Nick followed suit. Two kittens bounded over, one crawling into Nick's lap and the other climbing him like a tree to settle on his shoulder. Nick winced at each sharp prick of claws up his chest, tossing a glare in Kelly's direction when he heard Kelly's chuckle.

            "You really get into this, don't you?" Nick asked.

           Kelly nodded, biting his lip. "It's fun, especially when you can watch a shy cat come out of its shell. The kitten wrapped around your neck came in half-feral and hissing at everyone. Now look at him!" He leaned forward to rub the kitten's head. A tiny rumble started in the kitten's chest at the attention and Nick couldn't help but smile. This close, Nick still couldn't tell exactly what color Kelly's eyes were. He was slightly disappointed when Kelly sat back again.

            "How long have you been doing this?" Nick began petting the kitten on his shoulder. The tiny vibrations actually were rather soothing.

            "Five years volunteering and two years fostering." Kelly picked up two older kittens and held them up to Nick. "I bottle fed these two brats every two hours when they were tiny newborns. Now they reward me by snubbing my affections!" He set the kittens in his lap on their backs, rubbing their bellies while they squirmed.

            "You don't seem like the..." Nick waved his hand, looking for the right word.

            Kelly grinned. "I don't look like the type to feed kittens at 2 in the morning?"

            Nick shrugged in response. Kelly really _didn't_ look like the type, but the more he saw of Kelly's personality, the more Nick saw Kelly's softer side. And he liked it. A lot.

            "Just because I was in the Navy doesn't mean I don't have a soft spot for fuzzy creatures."

            "Navy, huh?"

            Kelly hummed. "And you were Force Recon, if what Ty said was right."

            Nick nodded. "Yeah, we were on the same team. Went to Hell and back with him and the other guys on the team."

            "This place has a veteran's program if you want to look into it. You're paired up with dogs that were abused by their previous owners. It helps both the veterans and the dogs heal, from what I've seen."

            "I think I'll see how this goes first."

            Kelly leaned back on his hands, watching Nick with his head tilted to the side. Nick raised his eyebrows at him and tried to ignore the butterflies fluttering in his belly.

            "What?"

            Kelly shrugged and gave him a lopsided smile. "I'm just trying to figure you out. I always thought I was pretty good at reading people and you just seem really down."

            Nick shifted uncomfortably and ran a hand down the back of the cat sleeping on his lap. "It's nothing. Just a lot going on at work with a tough case."

            "Police officer?"

            Nick shook his head, a small smile pulling at his lips. "Detective."

            "Stressful work either way, huh? Well, if you ever want to talk about it... I'm just a youth counselor, but I might still be able to help. If all else fails," Kelly shrugged and sat up, picking up a cat and depositing it in Nick's arms. "You can just ignore me and play with the cats."

            Nick let out a startled laugh, letting the annoyed cat jump out of his arms. "I'll keep that in mind."

~*~*~*~

            Kelly hurried up the sidewalk to the shelter. He was running late after waiting for one of his kids who didn't show up to her scheduled meeting. Kelly wasn't quite sure _why_ he was nearly running to the door; it wasn't as if he _had_ to show up at a set time every day.

            Okay, he knew exactly why he was in a hurry and it was because of a certain detective. A detective who had shown up like clockwork the past week. A detective that Kelly was finding himself more and more attracted to the more they got to know each other. A detective who went back to work today. Kelly would be very disappointed if said detective didn't come back to the shelter.

            He was in so much trouble.

            Kelly burst through the doors into the shelter lobby, pausing to compose himself. The woman at the desk gave him a strange look, but he just smiled at her and made his way to the cat room. He slowed to a stop when he got to the door and just watched for a moment, a smile pulling at his lips. Nick sat cross-legged on the floor with three kittens cavorting around him and an older cat lounging on his lap. He rubbed the tabby's belly, a small smile on his face and a faraway look in his eyes. He was wearing the purple volunteer T-shirt and Kelly's stomach did a happy little flip at the sight.

            Kelly quietly stepped into the room and checked the cages, noting that the litter boxes were all clean and everyone had their food topped off. Even the slightly evil cat named Ulrich had a clean cage, something Kelly had never been able to do without help. Before he could turn around, he heard a tap on the glass behind him and Nick's voice floated across the room to him.

            "I was wondering if you were going to show up today."

            "Unless I'm deathly ill, I'll always be here, even if I am almost an hour late," Kelly said. He made a show of looking Nick up and down. "I was wondering if _you_ would show up today."

            Nick smirked and made his way into the room. He cradled the tabby in one arm while he used a foot to keep the kittens from rushing out of the playroom. "I decided this has been good for me."

            Kelly hummed and stepped closer, rubbing the cat's chin and intentionally moving into Nick's personal space. "I see you've met Brookes."

            "Yeah, he's really laid back. Why isn't he adopted yet?"

            Kelly shrugged one shoulder. "I'm not really sure. He likes to play when you get him going, but he's a lazy, cuddly lump the rest of the time."

            "Hopefully he finds someone soon," Nick said. He turned and went back into the playroom. Kelly followed close on his heels, gathering kittens before they could escape.

            Kelly set the kittens down and sat on the floor among them. Nick sat next to him, their knees touching. Brookes crawled over and sprawled across their knees. Kelly licked his lips and took a deep breath, telling the butterflies fluttering around his chest to calm down.

            "So," he drew out with a sideways look toward Nick, "I had a thought.

            "Oh, yeah?"

            "You seem like you're always busy, so I was wondering if you were single? And now that I've said that, it sounds horrible and stupid. I swear it sounded better in my head."

            Nick laughed, his green eyes gaining a mischievous glint. "That was so smooth, man. But yes, I am single and if you're angling for a date, sure, why not."

            Kelly gaped at him, his mouth opening and closing a few times before he got any sound out. "Well, shit if this was going to be that easy, I don't even know why I was so nervous."

            "You're not exactly subtle, Kels. I could practically feel you undressing me with your eyes from day one."

            Kelly ducked his head, blushing furiously. "You're so full of shit."

            "Am I?" Kelly didn't even have to look up to know Nick had a big, stupid grin on his face.

            "When did you become so flirty?" Kelly asked with a wiggle of his fingers in Nick's direction. "Just a few days ago you look like someone killed your puppy."

            Nick chuckled and stroked the back of the tabby sprawled across their laps. "I guess Ty was right, I did need a distraction from work. The cats helped, but you're much more interesting."

            "I don't think _I'm_ the distraction Ty meant when he sent you here."

            Nick shifted and Kelly looked up. Despite the cat between them, Nick inched closer and leaned forward until they were nearly nose-to-nose. "Actually, I kind of think he did. Are you really going to complain?"

            Kelly shook his head, eyes wide. "Nope. Not complaining one bit."

            Nick nodded. "Good. Then if you don't mind, I'm going to kiss you, we're going to spend another hour playing with these fuzz balls, and then I'm taking you out to dinner. And after that, we'll see where the night takes us."

            "Sounds like a plan," Kelly said with a laugh. His heart hammered in his chest as he looked into Nick's green eyes

            Nick sat up and looked around to make sure they were alone before grabbing Kelly by the chin and kissing him firmly. Kelly grabbed the back of Nick's neck and returned the kiss, nipping at Nick's lips with a pleased hum. Nick pulled back and squeezed Kelly's thigh, then picked up a feather on a stick.

            "Now, let's play with some kitties."

            Kelly laughed and nodded. He'll have to remember to call Ty and thank him tomorrow.

-end-


End file.
